Splatoon Won't Survive in its Current Condition

[Fightersword]

Oh man this is long. let's try to address all of this. I will start by saying your opinion is yours, and I am only offering my counterpoints and counteropinions. I recognize your right to like or dislike the game as you see fit, and I do personally hope you begin to enjoy it more. That being said, I will try to do my best to defend the game.

It's sunday night, 7pm EST, and I'm sitting there for two minutes waiting for a battle to finish because there are no other available players at the moment. I finally get into a battle, and its me as a level 7 (circumstances, was using brother's ID, literally only took interest in Wii U for this game) and one other sub 10 pitted against level 15-20's.

I've seen so much praise about this game, or otherwise people playing the "it's been a week, can't judge" excuse, it's time to see some critique. Because first impressions matter, and new players might not be so willing to give the game that week, especially if they can still get a good price at the Gamestop for a trade in.

TBH I would recommend getting to level 10 before you try and do a full critique, as you haven't even touched rank battles at all. I've never heard this weird can't judge excuse, but I do know a lot of people have had issues with the game, many of them complaining about things like lack of voice chat (which is a legitimate criticism, even if you wouldn't use it) or feeling like winning is luck based.

Now let's go through the list of problems...

- If your accuracy isn't good, you're gonna get wrecked.

Aiming is frankly fairly easy in this game. It's being good at the Deadly Dance of movement rather than simply setting up and maintaining your firing line that will get you kills. That and attacking people from outside of their line of sight, preferably when they're focused on something else. Just straight up aiming is frankly easier in this game rather than games like TF2, which are a lot less smooth and which have characters that move more erratically. Tracking someone when they're swimming isn't too hard either if you can keep a good eye on them.

- I sat at "chill" for a good 4 matches. By the mid of the fourth one and dying for my umpteenth time, I realized I no longer gave a **** and just wanted the match to end. Got tired of getting curb stomped four times in a row. Kicker? I waited after the second match for a shot at a new group. Barring any potential Japanese repeats, I got a new list of English names at least. No such luck. Still ended up with roughly 30%-60% losses. Every. Single. Match.

This really just seems a problem with experience. Yeah, when you're just starting out you're gonna get crushed pretty badly, especially if you weren't around for the demos. Unless you're fairly good and experienced, it's hard to win even turf war consistently. Most level 20s don't win Turf war or any other mode consistently. 30-60% losses is actually pretty good considering you're fairly new to the game and clearly aren't used to it as of yet.

- No visible form of pairing far as I can tell. Or if the game does try to stick low levels with low levels, there simply aren't enough anymore. You either got in on the first wave of players and crunched to 20, or you'll be weeded out by the bigs picking on the smalls. Way to go, Nintendo.

- At the very least, they could look at the players that won the last match and try to separate them, instead of this RNG assignment bull$#!%.

I actually agree with the second part of this, a little smarter team shuffling wouldn't hurt. But it is completely random, meaning you should get paired up on the winning side just about as much as you do the losing one, personal effects on the outcome not currently considered. And no, the game doesn't care about pairing you with people close to your level. The only smart pairing is in ranked which pairs people mostly by their ranks. Turf War doesn't do that, which does help insure you get into games faster than if it tried to pair you with similar leveled people.

- Getting shot at at all is a death sentence since an opponents blob can and will slow you TO A CRAWL. Weapons are supposed to drop ink at one's feet, but this only happens very occasionally, instead of with every shot. This is in fact a deal breaker, since the first one to get hit turns into a turret unless they get immediately lucky, meaning easy pickings for the one that can still move (and aim.)

The dropping at your feet happens every certain number of shots with shooters. If you're trying to run away, you will have to commit to that and shoot at your feet to try and escape. The Ink Resistance gear skill, which is one of the better skills in the game, will also make escape in that common situation a lot easier to pull off. It's better to work on predicting these situations before they come to fruition rather than trying to escape when the situation is already happening, however. A bit of game sense as to what will happen will serve you a lot more than the best aim or anything else, for escaping, killing, and pretty much everything you do in the game. This comes with experience of course.

- Dying means losing special meter. Freaking ironic, since it's the tool that can easily turn the tide of battle and when you're getting stomped, you sure as hell aren't going to get to use it.

Which is one of the several reasons why not dying is the most important thing you can do in this game. A little bit of passivity can go a long way to your team's victory. You can play a pressure game until you get your special pretty easily, and then use that to push back. Not to mention you'll be a great jump point and several other things just by being a body on the board.

- My 2 enhancements per slot vs their 4. GG.

Subs don't do nearly as much as mains, and their subs are likely not thought out. Plus, you're level 7, so you can special order their gear with Spyke and wait a day to get that sweet 3 slot ninja squid shirt I know you're dying for. Oh by the way, if you haven't, try out Ninja Squid. it's amazing.

- Japanese laggers.

Lag caused from playing with people across the oceans isn't really anything Splatoon specific. It's just something that we all have to live with.

- There's no consolation for a losing streak what-so-ever. I'm level 7. Thanks for making leveling (read: getting up to par with the 20's) even more painful. I'd like to make 1000 exp per run, not, oh... 600-700, MAYBE. Getting curbstomped makes it hard to ink territory at all.

Again, just play more, and you'll get better and be able to score higher and kill better. No one was scoring 1200 games all the time on day 1. And 600-700 points isn't that bad of a haul for losing. Also, leveling gets a lot easier when you get ranked, in which winning gets you a boatload of EXP.

- No boost to poor performers either. Hell, a respawn time reduction for the team clearly losing would maybe improve the losing team's chances. When the entire enemy team is sitting just outside the spawn circle and no one can get through because it's hard to be sneaky when moving fast requires inking the ground first... or a ton of resistance and inkling speed, it's kind of a "why even bother" moment.

You know I"ll give it to you that especially in Splat Zones the team in control should take a disadvantage, because it's much easier to defend than push. But for now, just learn to rollout a little better so you can have a better chance in the midfight so you don't end up on the end that's forced to push. And there are plenty of ways to push if you can be a little creative, and people are pretty easy to get around on most maps if they're up at your spawn.

- Control scheme is actually on the level dog piss. Sticks only is clunky as hell due to lack of tuning (gotta push the sticks half way to even get a response) and my tactic of making finite adjustments by strafing is wrecked by getting stuck on enemy ink. Basically, they have to line themselves up for me. Motion controls are wonky. If I need to look up and adjust to the left, apparently I have to actually turn my controller to the right. Mind, they can desync, so I have to constantly reset just to look up or down reliably, which is never when I actually, really need to.

Motion controls are pretty awesome, and just go mess with your sensitivities some. You also shouldn't end up desyncing with gyro unless you're really waving it like crazy. Try turning the gyro up to around +1, that should help. If you're not used to the controls, might I recommend single player, which also gives you some decent two star gear upon completion.

- Player base is split between turf war "public" games and ranked matches. Please, make the player pool in turf wars even shallower for your up and coming pre-10's. I get that reintroducing the rank 10+ addicted to ranked matches to the turf war pool just means more double digits vs. the few newbs, but at least those newbs will be less likely to see the same few 15-20's repeatedly, whom I'm fairly certain are at this point just seeking easy item leveling. The newbs seriously desire to be stomped by the same double digits over and over and over.

Or, maybe... the level 20s just like Turf war and want to keep playing it? Not to mention playing with 'better' players helps you improve faster, though if it bothers you a ton, try playing with some of us. I know not all of us are 20, and it seems like it would be a less stressful experience for you to play friendlies with us. Also, if you have a problem with all 20s, then why is it doubly bad to see the same ones over and over? By your reasoning it won't make a difference. I for one don't even read the names that show up on that thing, unless I notice a friend.

I can see this maybe changing once the allure of new game modes wears off, but it's still a gamble, and still stupid of Nintendo to split the player base like this.

I don't get how it's splitting the player base? Would you rather everyone played in the same pool with a random game type selected? People who want to play Splat Zones play Splat Zones, and people who wanna do Turf War do Turf War. It's not really splitting up the fanbase. If you mean the level 10 req, that's so people who get into the zones have a fair enough grasp on the game to not drag the whole team down... though some still manage to throw sometimes.

Basically, this game has no safety net, and the newbs will be run off too fast to keep the game popular for long. Mark my words. I'll of course give it a few more tries over the week, but I'm not feeling particularly optimistic. If I'm not having fun because I feel whatever I'm doing is futile and I never feel like I even have the chance to win - I lose motivation, and eventually I quit. Like everyone else.

I mean, if newbs were being run off by good players, we'd have realized that already by now. Everyone who has gotten to level 20 and is getting there has been a newb (and may still be), and clearly they're interested in improving.

That's Splatoon's reality. It IS NOT a long term game in it's current state. There is too high a wall to climb, and the only way new players are going to climb it is if they're just that stubborn or they get really lucky with their team allotments and at least see 50-50 win-lose ratios that aren't complete stomp fests.

The only wall is your personal skill. All the weapons you get are viable, the only thing a bit 'unfair' being that higher ranks get 3 star clothing, which doesn't make a huge difference seeing how little sub skills affect anything. If you aren't seeing a 50-50, that's because your own player input is likely pushing the number in a negative way for you, because if your side loses more than wins, it means you're either: really freaking unlucky, OR, and more likely, you're pushing the average win chances down due to being a little less experienced than everyone else.

It is very telling when what should be prime time there seem to be so few players on I actually have to wait for a match (over 2 minutes, so it's among one of the only ones!) to end, and 90% of the players I do end up getting stuck with easily double my level. So low player numbers, and the extreme minority of those player numbers are under level 10.

Yeah, and the game sold 150K in Japan as well as selling remarkably well in the UK (with other numbers not known ATM) on its first few days, so at least the Japanese and Brits will provide us enough people. Also remember, your prime time does not equal everyone else's prime time. But I've personally never had an issue finding a match in Turf war or Zones.

I'd give this game a year, but I can barely justify 6 months before only the "pro circuit" really remains, if it even takes off.

That's... a very generous time for someone who was so turned off by the game. Well, it really depends if Nintendo continues to support it that long, and so far they've been good at supporting Splatoon

Your "tips" are not welcome. Not the point of this thread, and most players won't visit an information medium to see them, making them moot. You'll notice, MOST of the above list is entirely in Nintendo's power to fix.

I don't care what the point of this thread is. A lot of the above list is fully in your power to fix just by getting some more experience. the learning curve on this game isn't particularly high, and if you give it another day or two you should be able to splat with the betters.

 

[tokyodown]

A lot of the issues, come from you not being good at the game. The rest come from your lack of game knowledge. You should try researching.

This just seems like a bunch of whining because you're losing. I struggled at first, but kept playing and learn to hone my skills in what I'm specifically good at (rollers). And the game is about painting, not killing. Yes, killing is massively important but worry about painting first and the kills will come over time when you learn how to protect your area and use your paint to your advantage.

This game has a steep learning curve, but the games unique and will only improve over time so I'm not so sure your theory of the game dying will come to fruition.

 

[Aura]

Honestly, I think what matters most is what your opinion of the game is. If you don't like it, don't play it. You do, then do. But I will say this. Experience (not ingame- yours personally) will not come unless you keep playing. Otherwise you'll continue to be bad at this game. This is how almost every newcomer starts. Naturally, if you're good at it, chances are you'll like it better. You're bad at it, then you won't like it. Just keep practicing and you'll get the hang of it, and you'll start enjoying it more.

It's up to you how you appreciate this game, and your methods on how that appreciation is gained is your business, but I feel that the write up you made was a little inappropriate (you're on a Splatoon fourm dude), but it's not my business to say what's what, so I'll leave you to it.

 

[SuperAliceinWonderland]

Are you honestly complaining about a skill gap, 2 weeks after launch? I've played MMOs after their prime where everyone had billions of in game currency and max stuff and I was pitted against them and it was some of the most fun I ever had. Learning to deal with that made me get better at the game faster than before. Considering you barely just started playing you just hit one losing streak and are ready to throw the baby out with the bath water. We all go through losing streaks and the idea of nintendo splitting the player base is ludicrous. Its much harder to grind levels in ranked because a lot of the time you get ZERO points while you always get some in regular battle. Finally, yes the higher levels will have better weapons but I have seen people dominate with basic weapons against level 20s. It can be done and you could overcome your skill gap in a day or two of playing but instead you decided to be all doom and gloom about the game.

 

[Indy Wolfy]

There are times that I feared for those who get the game late and when they start out will end up being paired with the higher ranks and more or less get decimated. My best advice is either:
a) Splattershot Jr. is really good, alot of players use it even when they're a higher rank (good for kills) or
b) Play story mode until u beat the 3rd boss and there you'll be blessed with the Aerospray MG which can cover areas really fast (perfect for Turf Wars) so u can just rank up by just covering a lot areas and avoid conflict as much as possible.

But hang in there, the more you play the more you develop strategies and tactics to take down your opponents or spread ink w/o interruption :D

 

[EarlyCuyler]

tl;dr. As stated before: git gud.

 

[Poxnixles]

Lots of unneeded vitriol, guys. I think the core problem here when it comes to new players is perception: even if the advantages fresher players have aren't too significant, newer players may perceive it to be such.

 

[TheMH]

I think there is actually a noticable skill gap between newcomers and etablished players at this point. I mean, just consider the play times some people have stacked up already (btw. is there a thread about play times? would be neat to have one). This game has an immense early learning curve and as a beginner you can't expect to impress someone who is far more experienced than you are. In Splatoon it's specifically hard to catch up to early adopters in my opinion. it's not impossible, though.

Blaming the game and Nintendo is the wrong approach. You won't have fun this way, you have to keep going. Grind your way up to let's say Lv.13-15 in Turf War (Splattershot Jr. or the Aerosprays are your friends) and get better equipment. Beating Story Mode may help to improve your aiming. When you played the game for about 30-40 hours and still have serious issues with it, let's talk again.

About the waiting time when joining a room - this may be a hassle, but I have seen this very rarely happen for me. Most of the times I get into a room within 20 or 30 seconds

 

[spiffy]

while the game definitely has it's flaws (like everything else on planet earth) i think your frustration may be clouding your judgement about the game. after all, games are interactive experiences. if you don't take responsibility for your own mistakes how can you improve?

i know it might feel like everyone's ganging up on you but please, try to take some of their advice. practice and you'll get better!

 

[IxaVerse]

Look on the bright side. The servers aren't Smash Bros servers.

 

[obscurica]

Nnnooo, I gotta disagree on the idea that Splatoon's got a particularly large difficulty curve. Especially for an FPS. Note that weapon behavior is largely static between models--once you've played with the first four or five weapons, you've largely familiarized yourself with their gameplay attributes and the various sub/special loadouts. Hitboxes are the same no matter where you shoot a squid or kid, AND Nintendo's generous with both the number of hits needed to take out a person plus the area you need to hit them.

There isn't anything like a headshot damage bonus, or recoil management. You're stuck with the loadout you enter the game with, so resource management is nonexistent past keeping the ink tank full. While you can improve per-shot accuracy by rapidly flipping between kid/squid so that the first shot is generally headed to the right place, it's not a huge improvement over simply squeezing the trigger and not letting go (you lower your overall DPS by prioritizing accuracy and generally lose the 1v1s). And since even the chargers have limited range, all combat happens within easily observable distance. Solely in terms of gunning down a fellow player, or basically playing it as a shooter, Splatoon's one of the most accessible games of its genre.

In terms of map control and strategy. Well. That's another thing, and that's what's keeping it extremely interesting for me.

OP's complaints are largely without merit, frankly. It's not only conceivable for a lvl 1 player with a Splattershot Jr to ace the enemy team solo--the weapon's actually extremely well-designed for that. We've already established that gear bonuses and combat stats are largely ineffectual, and later-level unlocks are largely in the form of skill-intensive designs--chargers, heavy rollers, niche-filling subweapons, non-combat subsystems etc. All of which are made ineffectual if the lvl 1 player is the slightest bit patient, builds their meter first, and then Leeroy Jenkins into the fight. Leveling mostly increases range of options, not power.

There's only so much any designer can do to work around stubbornness and refusal to adapt. From my experience, Splatoon's already done a hell of a lot more than most to do so.

 

[Kikaioh]

Yikes, salty. You've got to git gud dude. Splatoon has a learning curve, and even at level 20 you'll still be figuring out mechanics and strategies to help win battles. Try playing single player until you get the hang of things, and then go back and try online.

 

[Endymion]

All my responses in 1 picture.
Also if someone could make a pic of Judd saying it when you get Judd's advice that would be sweet.

 

[mr0funk]

OP has every right to dislike this game regardless of how much we enjoy it. I agree that if he were to play more and level up it would be better. Perhaps rather than sit here and splat ink at one another we could exchange friend codes and rock some private matches to help him learn the courses and strong positions to hold to maximize xp. Just my opinion though. OP feel free to shoot me a friend request if you want!

 

[RoyLee]

I'll just leave this here...

 

[Deku]

I'd just like to point out the reason you're disliking the game (at the moment) is the reason many of us like it. It takes skill to win consistently. Also level =/= skill, only what weapons you can unlock (which most are pretty hard to use effectively). I've played with terrible level 20s and awesome level 10s (though they probably didn't stay there for long).

My unwanted advice (if you decide to keep on playing):
- choose a weapon to master (I suggest the Splattershot Jr., or the Krak-On Roller); practice doing techniques over and over, getting in the groove of how fast you use ink and when the special pops up.
- stay away from conflict if you don't think you can win; the better players are always grateful when the base is completely covered, which often turns into a victory.
- be patient with the flaws; nintendo isn't known for its online experience. There will be problems.

 

[Trieste Sp]

This thread has gone downhill as of late. I'm afraid I'll have to lock it.

>When does thread get lock?

Apparently now. Please post something that is more substantive next time.